From Struggling for Breath to Running Marathons: Veganism Saved His Life

In the popular Veganism Saved My Life series, we share stories of people who have witnessed extraordinary health overhauls thanks to a plant-based diet.

A dire diagnosis can turn your life into a timeline grimly defined by “before” and “after,” making you face the unimaginable—the looming possibility of your early mortality. But for some, a frightening diagnosis is also an opportunity to heal. VegNews’ annual feature, “Veganism Saved My Life”—available now in the January+February Health and Wellness Issue—features the heart-wrenching stories of five individuals whose lives were saved by veganism.

NameJosh Lajaunie

Age39

DiagnosisMorbid obesity, depression, hypertension

PrognosisHeart disease, early death, lifelong medication

How Josh Did It:En route to a family vacation to Martha’s Vineyard, Josh Lajaunie was told that, due to his size, the small plane on which he was a passenger would fly only if he moved closer to the front. Outwardly, he laughed it off, but obesity and heart disease ran in his family, and he had watched too many loved ones suffer from these deadly afflictions (heart disease affects a staggering 28 million Americans each year). When he got home and stepped on the scale, the word “error” was all that came up because it would read only up to 400 pounds.

Emboldened to make a lifestyle change, Lajaunie—who had once enjoyed sports immensely—laced up his running shoes only to find most physical activity left him out of breath. With a new determination to get into shape—but no firm grasp on how—he was turned on to the successes of ultra-marathoner and vegan Scott Jurek, and everything became clear. He traded in hamburgers for vegetables, and as his pounds melted off—230 of them—he realized he had a true gift. A marathoner was never something that Lajaunie, who had watched his father and grandfather both suffer heart attacks, would have thought of himself as. But after surprising himself by finishing a marathon in less than four hours, he completed his first 50k. Then he entered, and won, a 50-miler.

In 2016, the newly trim athlete competed in his first 100-miler, landing himself a cover spot on Runner’s World magazine. Now stronger and faster than ever, Lajaunie has become a local celebrity in his small town of Thibodaux, where he uses his platform to advocate for veganism within his community. His biggest proponent remains his mother, who has enthusiastically followed in his footsteps, losing 100 pounds herself by going vegan. For Josh Lajaunie and his family, when it comes to lifelong health, going the distance is the name of the game.